Turkey says will drive Kurdish YPG from Syrian border area if no deal with U.S.

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Turkish forces held a check point at the main road in Afrin, Syria March 20, 2018. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey will drive the Kurdish YPG militia away from the Syrian border if it does not reach agreement with the United States on a plan to remove the group from Syria’s Manbij region, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday.

“If this plan is not realised, the only option left will be clearing away terrorists. This is not just valid for Syria, but also for Iraq,” he said in interview with state-run Anadolu news agency.

He added that President Tayyip Erdogan and President Donald Trump will speak by telephone on Thursday.

Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by David Dolan